Ash and the other two were huddled together, seemingly troubled by something...
"Hey! Brock, is everything really okay?"
"Misty, don't rush Brock so much..."
"Ugh! I-I'm looking for it right now. I'll have it sorted out soon, I promise!"
It seemed they had run into some trouble? Perhaps this could be the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with Ash and his friends.
"Why did we suddenly stop?"
"Oh, I feel like I've spotted some new friends we could get along with."
"Friends? Uh-huh, got it~"
Lorze pulled Kirlia and Mewtwo over next to the group and cleared his throat very formally.
"Hello there, everyone?"
Hearing the young man's voice, the three turned around. Pikachu and Togepi also tilted their heads, showing very confused and adorably goofy expressions: "Pika?" "Toge-prii?"
( ・◇・)?
Lorze bowed politely and then smiled as he spoke—
"Judging by your looks, you must be tourists visiting Alto Mare, right? I'm actually the same... If it's about travel-related matters, perhaps I can help out?"
"You're a really weird guy! Coming up to talk to us out of nowhere and offering to help..."
The one who spoke up was Misty, holding the cute Togepi in her arms. She was frowning and staring at him. Lorze had long expected this kind of reaction.
"Haha, my apologies for offending you. Since I've received help from others in the past, I can totally relate to that feeling of running around like a headless fly. We're all travelers in a foreign land, after all; it's better if we look out for each other."
"You're a pretty nice guy, bro! My name is Ash, and this is my partner, Pikachu. What's your name?"
"Pika-pi~"
"Just call me Lorze. Over here are Mewtwo and Kirlia."
After shaking hands with the sunny, cheerful boy in front of him, Lorze felt a daze akin to successfully meeting his idol, but he maintained a sophisticated facade, suppressing the joy in his heart.
Who wouldn't like the headstrong type-disadvantage master, Ash?
Besides that, there was another point: Mewtwo and Ash didn't seem to recognize each other. This meant that either the worldline had shifted, or this Mewtwo was actually the one from the Genesect movie.
Judging from the tsundere big sister personality, the latter possibility was definitely higher!
"What are you smiling about?"
"Nothing much, just thinking that Big Sister is very gentle today too~"
"E-Even if you say that!"
Blushing and turning her head away, Mewtwo's large tail wagged unconsciously.
On the other side, although Misty was still pouting, Brock wore a "I'm saved" expression and hurriedly brought the map in his hand to Lorze—
"Brother Lorze! We came to Alto Mare to sign up for the Water Race, but we don't have a clue on where to stay..."
"So that's how it is. I understand. It just so happens that I know a very nice inn. Let me lead the way for you all."
"Thank you so much!" "Many thanks, Mr. Lorze!"
"Hey, hey, Ash, Brock. No matter how you look at it, this guy is way too..."
"It's fine, Misty! Mr. Lorze looks very reliable!" "I also feel that this Mr. Lorze is someone we can trust."
"I really can't do anything about you guys. Anyway... sorry for my bad attitude earlier. Please lead the way."
"Toge-prii~"
The latter half of the sentence was directed at Lorze. The young man just smiled and waved his hand, not minding at all.
"Mister! We'd like a boat ride!"
After flagging down a small boat, Lorze helped everyone board. Finally, he got in while holding Kirlia in his arms.
Mewtwo seemed intent on floating in the air. At this moment, the flush on her face had yet to fade.
Because a certain someone's mouth was very sweet just now, she was only doing this to better protect her beloved man and little sister~
"To Hotel Stella, please!"
"Right away~"
Although Lorze had just arrived in Alto Mare, he had actually booked things like the inn in advance on his phone.
Not only that, but he had also done ample research for Alto Mare's tourist spots, which was why he dared to offer help to Ash and the others directly!
Making full preparations before doing anything; that was his style.
As for why he chose Hotel Stella... It was because he compared a large number of inn locations and interior furnishings, and found that this inn was very likely the one Ash and his friends stayed at in the movie. It was his way of recreating the plot.
The boatman rowed his oars at a leisurely pace. The group boated through the waterways of Alto Mare, passing under stone bridges from time to time. It possessed a unique charm.
"Sitting in a little boat like this feels really fun!"
"Pika-pi~"
Lorze was just worrying if taking the initiative to chat would make him seem too talkative, so Ash's exclamation played right into his hands.
Taking over the conversation very naturally, the young man began to introduce the small boats of Alto Mare—
"It is indeed very fun! Moreover... this small boat actually has a very long history and an exclusive name. It's called a Gondola. The bow and stern sections are places where craftsmen can freely express their creativity. The mister's Gondola here seems to incorporate some elements of Dragon Boats from Eastern regions. It looks very beautiful!"
He not only enlivened the atmosphere but also invisibly praised the boatman, making everyone happy~
"Haha! You know quite a lot, young man!"
"You flatter me."
After this minor interlude, everyone started talking more openly, and the boat became lively.
From their respective Pokémon to their favorite dishes and so on. It seemed even the speed of the boat ride picked up.
Mewtwo floated beside them, smiling as she watched everyone. However...
"Who's there!?"
She snapped her head back, almost instantly entering combat mode—
But there was nothing behind her.
No, the aura was definitely there. It seemed that two Psychic-type Pokémon had just passed by.
Mewtwo temporarily left the boat, carefully observing the residual psychic traces in the air—the technique was extremely crude and immature, so the residual energy was very thick and the traces were very obvious.
"Invisibility, huh... It seems to be some kind of optical camouflage effect. Interesting."
However, they didn't seem to have any hostility? If that was the case, she wouldn't bother with it.
When she caught up to the boat again, the young man was laughing and talking with his companions while opening the internal team comms.
"Big Sister Mewtwo, was there anything fun just now?"
"Nothing."
Mewtwo was just about to tease him on how he could multitask, when she was shocked by the young man's next sentence.
"Did two invisible Pokémon pass by?"
"How did you know!?"
"They don't matter. They're actually the guardian deities of this city, Latias and Latios, so they won't hurt us."
"So that's how it is."
However, Mewtwo secretly broke a sweat: she could sense that those two had a very high growth ceiling... but weren't they a bit too weak right now? How could they protect the city like this?
Actually, Lorze had a similar thought.
Rather than saying they won't hurt us... I'm afraid we'll have to put some effort into protecting them!
He wasn't just here to flirt with girls—the tragedy of Latios passing away in the movie would definitely be rewritten.
Of course, Latias still needed to be flirted with, right?
Perhaps her older brother, Latios, would try his hardest to obstruct him. After all, in his eyes, Lorze was probably just a blond bastard trying to steal his sister.
But there were ways to deal with that kind of thing: we've prepared a very generous bride price. This little sister... I absolutely have to marry her!